


New Year's Snow

by toastkat



Series: A Love Affair of an Angel and Demon [2]
Category: Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Bets, Boys Kissing, Dating, Fade to Black, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, Relationship fights, Sexual Content, Texting, break ups, breaking up, dating drama, relationship drama, relationships, revenge of the Deadpool references, story in text messages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:34:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21955969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastkat/pseuds/toastkat
Summary: Dating a Son of Sparda comes with certain perks - great kisser, never a dull date - but it also comes with one certain disadvantage… Dealing with the other Son of Sparda.
Relationships: Dante (Devil May Cry)/Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII)
Series: A Love Affair of an Angel and Demon [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580677
Kudos: 12





	1. The 25th

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NeverSurrender](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=NeverSurrender).



Tuesday, December 25th, 2018

(D) (so…) 11:41 AM

11:42 AM (So?) (S)

(D) (wat r u doin 4 New Years?) 11:46 AM

Sephiroth smiled to himself at the text. He hadn’t expected it, if he was truthful with himself. He had expected Dante to not text him at all, that their festive fling would remain a one-time thing. But he’d also be a liar if he didn’t admit that he had held onto one small, pure white feather of hope that maybe, just  _ maybe _ , Dante felt something for him other than rampant horniness. His usual booth at Sister Mary Margaret’s School for Wayward Children felt lonely, especially with most of the mercenaries either out on holiday-themed hits or, for the daring few, spending the holidays with their loved ones. Without the mercenaries there to smoke or vape, the air was clear and the fluorescent lights all that more oppressing. The jukebox was still playing Christmas music, and Sephiroth was sure that Weasle was ready to change the CD out as soon as the clock struck midnight, signifying Christmas was over.

He hadn’t thought as far ahead as New Year’s. Hell, he rarely even thought as far ahead as tomorrow. The ex-SOLDIER had had very little to fight for, save for now. His fingers sped over the keyboard of his phone.

11:49 AM (I haven’t made plans yet. What did you have in mind?) (S)

The little (. . .) filled him with… glee? Excitement? Joy? Even Sephiroth didn’t know. All he knew was that his heart was  _ fluttering _ as he watched that ellipses and counted the seconds that went by as Dante typed his reply.

(D) (the girls wanna do a cocktail party on the roof.) 11:51 AM 

(D) (u don’t have 2 cum) 11:51 AM

(D) (hole city’s gunna b partyin) 11:51 AM

(D) (u prolly already have plans) 11:51 AM

(D) (wait) 11:52 AM

(D) (u said u didnt) 11:52 AM

(D) (nevrmind forget i said taht) 11:52 AM

He couldn’t help but chuckle at his boyfriend’s speed texting.  _ It would be more impressive if he could actually spell, _ Sephiroth thought as he shook his head, watching the messages fly onto his screen. He could imagine the embarrassed blush across Dante’s cheeks as he realized his mistake, burying his face in his pillow to avoid anyone seeing it. 

_ But is he my boyfriend? _ Sephiroth wondered as he left Dante on Read to collect his thoughts.  _ It had been just for Christmas, and yet here he is, texting me and inviting me over once more. _

His thumbs hovered, hesitated over the on-screen keyboard. They did circles around one another as he tasted his words, typed them in his mind, then deleted them.

(D) (its ok if u dont want 2) 11:55 AM

(D) (im sorry i made things awkward) 11:56 AM

(D) (i shouldnt have texted u) 11:56 AM

11:56 AM (Dante, it’s okay. I got distracted.) (S)

11:57 AM (I would love to join you for New Year’s.) (S)

Sephiroth sucked his bottom lip into his mouth to chew on in thought, tapping his heel on the floor to burn excess energy suddenly building inside him. 

11:58 AM (Can we meet today?) (S)

11:58 (I want to see you.) (S)

(D) (yeah) 11:59 AM

(D) (theres stuff i wanna talk 2 u about) 12:01 PM

(D) (and i dont wanna do it on text) 12:01 PM

(D) (if that makes since) 12:01 PM

He smiled to himself, imagining the sound of Dante’s voice as he read the texts.

(D) (i wanna hear ur voice) 12:02 PM

12:03 PM (I’ll always have time for you, Dante.) (S)

12:03 PM (Just tell me where and when, and I’ll be there.) (S)

(D) (cool) 12:06 PM

(D) (where u @?) 12:06 PM

12:07 PM (Hellhouse.) (S)

(D) (ugh) 12:07 PM

(D) (not there) 12:07 PM

(D) (central park?) 12:08 PM

12:08 PM (Very well then.) (S)

He chuffed at a thought, and couldn’t resist.

12:08 PM (Should I bring flowers?) (S)

(D) (no) 12:09 PM

(D) (i mean) 12:10 PM

(D) (if u want) 12:10 PM


	2. Relationship Status

For the entire cab ride, the walk from the farmer’s market to the park, and navigating the labyrinth of shoveled and salted walking paths, Sephiroth prepared what he wanted to say. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to prepare a monologue, probably something for a SOLDIER recruitment video or training seminar, and it didn’t help that he wasn’t sure  _ what _ he wanted to say in the first place. Somehow “I love you” didn’t seem right just yet, but “I want to date you for real” wasn’t good enough either. He  _ refused _ to beg for a chance to properly date, but something deep down giggled mockingly at the thought that yes, Sephiroth  _ was  _ going to have to bend the knee and  _ grovel _ for permission to court a half-demon. He could hear the ghosts of exes past laughing already.

Finding Dante was the easy part. Sephiroth smiled to himself at the sight of the devil hunter. His hands shoved in his pockets, guitar bag on his back, and his gaze low to the ground out of habit, Dante stood out in the bleak grey snowscape with his red coat, lined with white fur for the winter. His nose and cheeks were pink from the chill, evidence that despite the possession of a car and public transportation, Dante chose to walk from his shop. To clear his mind? Or, like Sephiroth, to gather his thoughts?

He looked up and hesitated at the sight of Sephiroth, for a moment forgetting why they were meeting up in the first place. But Dante grinned and blushed a little as Sephiroth offered him the red rose. 

“Can’t believe you found a florist open on Christmas day,” Dante said as he accepted it, bringing the flower to his nose to smell and verify its authenticity.

“Thank the Ancients for 24 Hour CVS pharmacies and minimum wage workers distanced from their families,” Sephiroth muttered under his breath. He rubbed his hands together and blew some warmth onto them. “Do you have time to get some coffee?”

Dante smiled sadly and shook his head. “No… Trish is going to be here in a few minutes to pick me up. Something about a job in Red Grave City. I just…” He shrugged and looked away. “I just wanted to see you before I headed out. In case I’m not back until New Years. I wanted to hear your voice and…” 

“Talk to me about something you didn’t want to text about.”

The devil hunter blushed a bit and nodded. “Yeah… I… I wanted to know what we were.”

“What do you want us to be?” Sephiroth purred as he stepped a little closer.

“What do  _ you _ want us to be?” Dante asked in reply, standing his ground and letting the ex-SOLDIER stalk closer.

“I asked you first.” His hands came to rest on Dante’s hips, the touch tentative at first. When Dante didn’t try to shrug him off or run away, Sephiroth let his hands hold him a little tighter. 

Dante swallowed in a dry throat, closing his eyes as Sephiroth leaned a little closer, and he leaned in to meet the taller man. “I want… I want to give you a chance… give  _ us _ a chance… I want to try going steady…”

“Courtship?”

“Yeah… Something like that.”

“Something…  _ more _ ?”

“Yeah…”

“How does dating sound?”

“Sounds good…”

“Then can I kiss you?”

“You didn’t have to ask.”

“It’s still polite,” Sephiroth mumbled as he pressed his lips to Dante’s, kissing his boyfriend at last.


	3. The 26th

Boxing Day was not the holiday Sephiroth expected it to be. With the Hellhouse occupied at last by its usual lurkers, the mercenary hotspot was jovial and lively once more. The fog of smoke and vapor filled the air and corrupted the lungs of every occupant, and the chatter and ruckus was so loud that it drowned out whatever was playing on the jukebox. So as he flipped through the binder of available jobs, Sephiroth wondered in the back of his mind what Boxing Day was all about. Some of the mercenaries were arguing about it at the bar when the fist-fight broke out.  _ Appropriate, but not the true meaning of Christmas, _ Sephiroth mused, turning pages and skimming business cards.

The fight didn’t pause. No one seemed to notice, except Sephiroth. Possibly because he was the only one out of them that had the experience needed to notice in the first place.

A predator knew the presence of another predator.

And it took every instinct in Sephiroth to keep from looking up as he felt the temperature in the bustling bar drop by at least five degrees, announcing the arrival of the stranger.

If Weasel saw him come in, the bartender didn’t say anything. A silent exchange of nods might have been all the communication between them as the newcomer traversed the distance of the bar, going straight for Sephiroth’s booth. 

Now he had no choice.

Now Sephiroth had to look up at him.

The stranger wore a crisp blue suit, a bladed cane standing in front of him with both of his hands resting on the handle. His head was wrapped in bandages, disguising his face from any distinguishing features, save his ice blue eyes. Those eyes pierced down into Sephiroth’s, seeing past the Mako glow and right into the ex-SOLDIER’s heart and soul.

There were no introductions needed.

Sephiroth knew who this man was, and Vergil knew who he was staring down.

So what would bring a dead man to the Hellhouse?

“You’re courting my brother,” Vergil stated.

Ah, yeah, that would be a good reason.

As tempting as it was to blurt out a confident “why yes I am,” Sephiroth knew better. He knew he had to tread carefully when it came to talking to a demon, even a half-blood. The wrong words, the wrong phrase could wind him up in a contract balanced against him. It was considerate that Vergil didn’t press him for an answer, although his silent stare was oppressing enough on its own.

“I would like to,” Sephiroth finally answered him.

Vergil chuffed, inclining his head in a slight nod of approval at his choice of words. “We agree then that your relationship with Dante can be terminated at a moment’s notice.”

“Not that easily or willingly, but yes.”

“I have a job for you.”

The sudden shift in conversation topics caught Sephiroth by surprise. He closed the binder and scooted it away from himself.

“You have my attention.”

“I’m sure you already know of Dante and I’s shared tragic past.” 

“I know… some of the story.”

“My job for you is this. Learn the rest of the story. Learn all of Dante’s dark secrets, all the names of the skeletons in his closet, walk the long, bloody path he once did.”

_ What’s the catch? _ Sephiroth thought.

“But not one word of this can be learned from Dante’s own lips.”

_ There it is. _

“Once you have stood at those graves, once you have heard the words of allies and enemies alike, once you have seen the horrors for yourself, if your… emotions for Dante remain true, then I will grant you permit to court him. If you speak to him of this wager, you fail. If you ask him anything directly, you fail. If I believe for a  _ moment _ that he has become aware of this conversation, you fail.”

“And what do I lose if I fail?”

“Your life.”

Sephiroth tasted his words before he spoke them. “That seems rather… harrowing.”

The half-breed smiled just a little and shrugged. “Only the worthy are allowed to court Dante. Laying out such a task separates the chaff from the wheat.” The wrappings on his forehead moved as Vergil quirked an eyebrow at him. “Are you up to the task?”

No further thought was needed. 

“I accept your challenge.”

“Good. You have until New Year’s Day.”

_ Wait… what?! _


	4. Phone a Friend

Sephiroth’s fingers hovered over his phone screen once more. The temperature in the bar had returned to normal, the fist fight had ended with no clear winner or loser, and he still hadn’t learned the true meaning of Boxing Day. One of these things was more important than the others. Vergil had left him to his booth and thoughts without even buying him a drink, and Sephiroth would have called him a cheapskate for it if he didn’t need his junk anymore. He had plans for that junk. 

What the ex-SOLDIER needed a plan of action. A strategy. A place to even  _ start _ . 

Hell, he needed a lifeline.

Calling that number was a gamble, but when a woman’s voice answered “Devil May Cry,” Sephiroth breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lady, please.”

“Speaking.”

He sat up in the booth. “Perfect. This is Sephiroth, we met at the Christmas party.”

A pause then, “Yeah, I remember you.” Her voice was a purr, and he could imagine the smug smile on her face. As if he was playing into  _ her _ hands, rather than Vergil’s.  _ Is there anyone in Dante’s life who  _ isn’t _ a manipulator of some form? _ Sephiroth wondered with a scowl. “What can I do for you, Sephy?”

_ Never call me that again. _ He bit back the sour thought. “I… I need some help with a job. Are you available for a consultation? Or rather, some research?”

“Alright…” Sephiroth could hear her shuffling on the other end of the phone, scrounging around Dante’s mess of a desk for a paper and pen. “Okay, what do you need?”

There was no way of saying it and  _ not _ sounding like a complete creeper. “I…” Sephiroth sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. “I want to learn more about Dante…”

“You’re calling the  _ wrong _ person then…”

“I know, but… I want to learn about him from other perspectives. What he says to me may be different than what he’s told you. And you know him. He’s likely to either sugar-coat the darkness or omit it completely from his life’s story.”

“No…” Lady sighed in annoyance. “You’re not wrong…”

"I just… I'd like to know what I'm walking into." Sephiroth ran his fingers through his bangs, his eyes glowing as he stared down at his reflection in the resin of the hardwood table. "My past is dark and bloody, filled with so much rage and sorrow. If Dante is in a dark place… I don't want to drag him into my darkness as well."

He could hear the warm smile in her voice. "That's awfully thoughtful of you…"

Sephiroth chuffed, wishing he could take credit for the idea. Perhaps that was Vergil's plan all along.  _ If only I could be so lucky… _ "Will you do it?"

“Depends. What’s in it for me?”

“Starbucks?”

“I'll meet you at the mall Starbucks in an hour. I hope you have your wallet, Sephy. I’m an expensive girl to pay for."

His scowl darkened at his phone as the call ended. “Why am I not surprised?”

\----------

The mall was crowded, for the day after Christmas. Sephiroth didn’t bother changing out of his usual black and metal gear. If he was causing people to stare, that was on them, not him. The world was crazy enough with monsters lurking in the shadows, underneath beds, and inside closets that one man dressed weird in the mall cafeteria should be the least of society’s worries. As he watched shoppers passing by, returning unwanted gifts and spending gift cards, he let his mind wander. 

_ Why am I doing this?  _ Sephiroth asked himself, his gaze staring into a record-turned-fandom shop without really seeing the products or people.  _ Why am I allowing Vergil to intimidate me? To bully me into endangering that trust I've been building with Dante? Could he really take me in a fight? _

He saw Dante's smile in his memory, and Sephiroth felt himself smile back. Sunshine and danger. Light filtered through blood red lenses. A candle in the darkness. 

_ I'm doing this because I have finally tasted sunshine, and found that I quite like the flavor after all,  _ Sephiroth thought as he spotted Lady cutting through the crowd like moonlight through fog. She didn't have her signature rocket launcher with her, but that didn't make her any more unarmed or less dangerous. Seeing the manila envelope in her hand gave him a brief flash of  _ deja vous _ . Not too long ago, Dante had presented him with a similar envelope. Or was it a folder? Sephiroth didn't trust his memory, but he did trust his boyfriend knew where to get cheap office supplies if he could afford to go through them this fast.

Lady slapped the folder down on his table, and Sephiroth scooted the metal Starbucks tumbler towards her. She planted her hands on her hips.

"What's in it?"

"Pink drink."

She squeaked in delight and took the container, sipping it without further hesitation as she sank into her seat. The exchange finalized, Sephiroth took the envelope and opened it, spilling its contents on the table. Papers, Polaroids, newspaper articles, artifacts of Dante's life.

"Why do I get the feeling you've done this research before?" Sephiroth asked, more to himself than her as he fanned everything out.

"What gave it away? How thorough it all is or how quickly I got my hands on everything?" Sephiroth could only chuff at her response. She smiled and shook her head, turning her shiny new tumbler in a circle as if she were winding a clock. "Let's just say… I had the same thought. That I wanted to get romantically involved."

Sephiroth's gaze fell on a collection of grainy security photos, images printed from camera footage that caught the rise of the Temin-ni-gru and the destruction left in its wake. How it didn't get more press coverage, Sephiroth could only guess.  _ Governments change, but the lies stay the same.  _

"What made you change your mind?" He asked in interest.

"Who says I did?"

The ex-SOLDIER looked up and quirked an eyebrow at her.

The woman laughed a little. "Alright, alright, you caught me. Dante…" She sighed, her smile fading all too fast. "I… I love him to death, but…" She shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it… Like I'll fight beside him on any day of the week. He knows it, I know it, you know it… But to  _ date _ him? To get emotionally involved, let yourself be vulnerable to him? To risk…" Lady swallowed back the rest of her words, the feathers of her short brown hair ruffling as she shook her head again. "I can't do it. Loving Dante takes a lot of strength and energy I don't have. I can barely handle my own worst days. And I'm willing to admit that I can't handle my worst days and his at the same time."

He picked up a copy of the photo on Dante’s desk, printed from a color copy machine so 50% of the page was white space. Whoever made the copy was able to get the front of the photo and the back on the same page of paper. Sephiroth had seen the woman on Dante’s desk before. She was beautiful, with her almost sad smile, as if she knew her fate and was counting down the days until the attack. The back of the picture was mostly blank, but for some reason, whoever made the copy felt that it was important to include the single word scribbled by a child’s hand, as if they had to write it down before they forgot.

Eva.

Lady’s voice sounded far away as she watched him admire the copy. “Can you say the same?”

Sephiroth didn’t know the answer to that question. He didn’t know if he  _ could _ handle Dante at his darkest, most vulnerable moments; the ex-SOLDIER couldn’t even remember a time when he had ever witnessed one of those moments first-hand. Maybe he’d get a chance to, before New Year’s.

The copy of Eva’s photo was set aside in favor of a typed up report, a short summary of Dante’s life. His brows furrowed.

“Where’s Dante from? Originally?”

She shrugged, slurping up the last of her Pink Drink. “Somewhere outside Red Grave City. I haven’t been there myself, but I’ve heard the place is just like it was back then… Untouched by time.”

Those three words sent chills down Sephiroth’s spine.  _ Red Grave City. _ Right where Dante was going… 

And where Sephiroth needed to go next.


	5. The 27th

Thursday, December 27th, 2018

8:34 AM (How’s the job going?) (S)

(D) (weird) 11:35 AM

11:37 AM (Weird? Howso?) (S)

(D) (yeah) 11:37 AM

(D) (hol up, still gettin’ ready) 11:38 AM

(D) (okay so) 11:43 AM

(D) (we got a call on the 25th) 11:44 AM

(D) (someone has a job in Red Grave) 11:44 AM

(D) (don say who they are or what it is) 11:44 AM

(D) (just to go to a place and wait) 11:45 AM

(D) (wired some money up front) 11:45 AM

(D) (so i couldn’t say no) 11:45 AM

(D) (anywho) 11:46 AM

(D) (get here) 11:46 AM

(D) (nothin) 11:46 AM

(D) (don’t here from the guy at all) 11:47 AM

(D) (wait at the place all day) 11:47 AM

(D) (nothin) 11:48 AM

(D) (not even ducking demons) 11:48 AM

(D) (fucking*) 11:49 AM

Sephiroth squinted at the rapid series of texts that were flung at him. With Deadpool out of town, taking every mercenary’s favorite taxi driver Dopinder with him, Sephiroth was stuck taking an Uber between cities. He paid an extra $5 up front for the “Silent treatment,” where the Uber driver didn’t speak to him at all with the understanding that neither would Sephiroth. Music was good though. 

As he read over his boyfriend’s texts again and again, Sephiroth couldn’t help but feel a little tugging on his wrists, as if someone were pulling on invisible strings attached to him.

_ A puppet master making his subjects dance… _

11:53 AM (Interesting. What about yesterday?) (S)

(D) (wat) 11:53 AM

(D) (wat u mean?) 11:54 AM

(Did you hear back from) 

11:55 AM (the person who sent you the job yesterday?) (S)

11:55 AM (Did *anything* happen yesterday?) (S)

(D) (nope) 11:56 AM

(D) (trish thinks we should leave) 11:56 AM

(D) (says she’s got a bad feeling about all this) 11:57 AM

11:57 AM (I don’t blame her. I’d be suspicious as well.) (S)

11:58 AM (But, I know you. Which means…) (S)

(D) (yeah, i’m stayin) 11:58 AM

(D) (donno how long) 11:59 AM

(D) (prolly 4 couple days) 11:59 AM

(D) (y? what’s up?) 12:00 PM

He hesitated, looking out the window at the approaching city. Red Grave City. Once upon a time, it was hardly a spot on the map. And then, out of nowhere, the demons attacked, and the city quickly became a home and haven to any human with a gun and an itch to kill and get away with it. Gunsmiths made massive amounts of money, the profession of demon hunters was born, the rich tried to weaponize those demons and power for personal gain. 

Dante was from here. 

And something had called Dante home.

Or someone.

12:02 PM (I too picked up a job in Red Grave City.) (S)

(I’m taking an Uber now,) 

12:03 PM (and I don’t know how long I’ll be staying.) (S)

(D) (no shit!) 12:03 PM

(D) (did they pay upfront?) 12:04 PM

He pulled his lips to one side of his face in thought.

12:05 PM (Yes, in a sense.) (S)

(D) (wat the fuk does taht mean?) 12:05 PM

12:07 PM (It’s less of a job and more of a favor.) (S)

(D) (so wats ur job?) 12:07 PM

12:10 PM (Research, mostly.) (S)

12:11 PM (And a little spying.) (S)

(D) (ill trade jobs wit u) 12:11 PM

(D) (spyin & bookwork sounds more fun)

(than waitin around wit my thumb up my ass) 12:12 PM

12:12 PM (lol)

12:13 PM (Thank you, but unnecessary.)

(D) (whos ur target? maybe i can help) 12:13 PM

(D) (helloooo?) 12:27 PM

(D) (still alive?) 12:42 PM

12:45 PM (Sorry. Got distracted.)

12:46 PM (Just some rich man.)

12:47 PM (Corporate espionage.)

(D) (fuk that) 12:48 PM

(D) (no favor is worth that headache) 12:48 PM

(D) (keep ur job) 12:48 PM

(D) (dont want it) 12:49 PM

(D) (buuuuut) 12:49 PM

12:52 PM (But?) (S)

(D) (maybe if ur in town) 12:52 PM

(D) (and if ur not busy l8r) 12:53 PM

(D) (maybe) 12:53 PM

(D) (we can get 2gether 4 dinner?) 12:54 PM

(D) (which hotel u at?) 12:54 PM

(D) (we can bunk 2gether) 12:54 PM

(D) (and save some money) 12:55 PM

12:56 PM (Sounds tempting. But what would Ms Trish say?) (S)

(D) (she got her own room anyway) 12:56 PM

(D) (c’mon) 12:57 PM

(D) (my place has a hot tub!) 12:57 PM

12:58 (I didn’t bring swim trunks.) (S)

(D) (neither did i ;) ) 12:59 PM

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at the mental image, unable to resist the smile or the way his heart fluttered at the idea. 

1:01 PM (Very well then.) (S)

1:02 PM (I’ll meet you at your hotel when I get into town. (S)

(D) (awesome!) 1:02 PM

(D) (sounds like a date!) 1:03 PM

Putting his phone away, Sephiroth broke the contract between himself and his Uber driver. “Change of destination…”


	6. A Man Worth Fighting For

Dante was in the lobby to meet him, standing up from the cozy recliner he’d occupied in his wait and throwing away his bottle of strawberry Nesquik he got from a vending machine nearby. He opened his arms to Sephiroth, and how could the ex-SOLDIER resist? He stepped into his boyfriend’s arms, holding Dante in return with one arm around his back as the other held onto his black duffle bag of Stuff(™). In the short time they were apart, Sephiroth had almost forgotten what Dante had smelled like as he buried his face in that soft white hair.  _ Pizza, _ Sephiroth thought with a chuff.  _ Pizza, Axe, and gunpowder. _

He pulled away enough to kiss Dante’s lips, uncaring of who saw them or disapproved. The half-demon purred in his throat in approval, even though the kiss itself only lasted a few moments. Dante was smiling and blushing as Sephiroth finally peeled himself off to look at him. 

“C’mon,” Dante murmured, letting go of Sephiroth’s body only to take hold of his hand. “Room’s upstairs.”

“You trust me alone in an elevator with you?” Sephiroth questioned as Dante led him.

“It’s not  _ that _ long of an elevator ride,” Dante grumbled, rolling his eyes as they waited for the elevator car to arrive. “There’s hardly any time to get hard.”

“That sounds like a challenge.”

“Well, it wasn’t.” He rubbed his nose with his hand to try to hide the blush that crept up to his ears. 

“I see. Was it an invitation then?”

“N-no!” 

The elevator doors open and Dante stomped in before Sephiroth could make another argument. His boyfriend trailed after him, chuffing to himself. Dante slammed the 2nd floor button and shoved his hands in his pockets with a huff. Neither spoke for the brief elevator ride, and Sephiroth followed as Dante stomped to the hotel room. He dug the key card out from his wallet and handed a spare to Sephiroth, using his own copy to unlock the door. 

Ever the gentleman, Dante held the door open for Sephiroth.

“Thank you,” the ex-SOLDIER murmured with a polite nod as he stepped past. 

However, Sephiroth didn’t get far before he felt a yank on his hair tugging him to a sudden stop. Dante kicked the door closed and pulled Sephiroth by his hair closer again until they were tangled in each other’s arms and kissing so hard that both of them were breathless. 

“Miss me?” Sephiroth asked with a smirk as Dante fumbled on the belts criss-crossing the angel’s chest. His own hands were tugging at Dante’s coat, trying to pull it down his arms while untucking his shirt at the same time.

“Yeah,” Dante half-sighed, half-moaned as Sephiroth pulled him to the bed. He squeaked as they fell, Sephiroth laughing and pulling his boyfriend close so he slid between Dante’s legs. The demon groaned again as their hips met, and they felt how much they  _ longed _ for each other. Dante grinned a little, his breath warm against Sephiroth’s lips. “Two days is too long… Get lonely after just one.”

“I promise…” He kissed Dante’s forehead, one eyelid and then the other, and lastly his lips. Sephiroth could feel the other man melting in his arms as he was kissed, as if the poor boy had never been kissed before. And he knew  _ that _ to be a lie. They had to part for breath once more, both of them gasping for air as if forgetting briefly how to breathe. “I promise I won’t be away from your side for so long…”

“Bullshit.”

The word stung like a slap to the face, and Sephiroth had to pull back to make sure he had heard that word correctly. Dante couldn’t meet his eyes, that soft sky blue gaze aimed at Sephiroth’s chest. Once upon a time, there was no heart that beat there. It was only darkness. But now… Dante ran a hand over Sephiroth’s bare chest, marvelling at it as if he had never seen it before. Which Sephiroth knew also to be incorrect. 

“You… You can’t be there for me  _ all _ the time…” Dante mumbled. “You can’t be with me for  _ every _ job… This… We got lucky this time, bumpin’ into each other here… But it ain’t always gunna be like that. Your work… You get sent all over the world.” He smiled a little. “Protectin’ rich guys and doin’ hits for the Yakuza.” Sephiroth chuckled a little. The demon wasn’t  _ too _ far off in his assumption. He considered himself more of a consultant than a hitman. “And I get the local shit. Cleanin’ up local messes and chasin’ local monsters. So we’ll be stuck on opposite sides of the world on some nights…”

He curled a finger under Dante’s chin, lifting it until their eyes met. 

“Then we take the days and nights when we’re together, and cherish them for as long as we can,” Sephiroth told him, his voice a whisper meant for his boyfriend and no one else. 

“Stay with me tonight… Please…”

“I will.”


	7. The 28th

Sephiroth waited until midnight before he slipped out of Dante’s sleepy snuggle, covering himself with his coat to protect his naked body from the cool of the night. He didn’t turn on a light, even as he dug through his duffle and got out the manila envelope; the angel’s modifications allowed him to see in the dark as if he had some small amount of light source. Just don’t ask him what color the factory painting over the bed was. 

He sat at the copy-pasted desk in the corner of the room, turning the chair so his back was to the wall. Sephiroth was already running enough of a gamble by bringing it with him, the last thing he needed was for Dante to sneak up on him reading about Dante’s own life story. Sitting with his back to the open was something he disliked from the first day of SOLDIER training, and it was a habit that had saved his life on more than one occasion. 

The pages made soft  _ fwip, fwip _ noises as he turned them, thumbing through the images and skimming the text. Lady was quite thorough in her research. So thorough, in fact, that Sephiroth wasn’t even sure where to start. None of the pages or pictures were numbered, and she seemed to type every page out so there wasn’t an orphan line that ran from one page to the next. Or maybe it was the sheer  _ amount _ that intimidated him. For once, Sephiroth had met someone who presented all of their emotional baggage at once, rather than leaving it to be discovered over time later. 

Was it cheating that he was using Lady’s work? Absolutely. 

But was it against Vergil’s bullshit rules? Absolutely fucking  _ not _ .

His caveats were specifically that Sephiroth could  _ not _ learn from Dante himself any of his nightmares or sins. Everything had to come from outside sources, from other perspectives standing outside the Sparda mythos.

“Sparda…” Sephiroth whispered the name, then flipped through the pages once more.

Where else to start than at the beginning?

Ask anyone about the legend of Sparda, and there will be one of two answers. Either a polite “whomst?” or some version of the myth. Sephiroth had heard a version late in his life, after he had already become a hero and villain of SOLDIER. Genesis had been the one to tell him the legend, a story whispered in the dark of a sleepless night. At the time, Sephiroth hadn’t paid much attention to his colleague’s rambling, chalking it up to yet another epic poem he was passionate about. 

Now Sephiroth wished he’d paid more attention. 

He closed his eyes and rubbed them with his fingers, trying to summon the memory from that dark place in his mind. And even if he  _ could _ dredge it up, could he trust it? Memories were ever changing, ever shifting around in the mind like quicksilver, unable to be touched, unable to be grasped. What Sephiroth remembered of yesterday could be forgotten in the next week and morphed by the next year. 

It didn’t help that he couldn’t even remember the sound of Genesis’s voice.

It didn’t help that no two persons in all of history told the same legend of Sparda twice.

Lady had been kind enough to type out her own version of the myth, and to Sephiroth, it would be the closest version to the truth than from any other source. She was, after all, a descendent of that priestess who sealed the worlds thousands of years ago. The legend had been the first she was told as a baby, the first words she learned to speak and write. It was only a miracle she didn’t end up in Fortuna, though Sephiroth didn’t doubt for a moment that someone in her family was from that despicable island.

His eyes ran over the standard typewriter font, hearing Lady’s voice in his mind as he read, as if she were standing beside him reading it out loud. It was a woman’s version of the myth, painting a far different picture than what Sephiroth had originally imagined. Men will tell of epic battles, list the names of the gods and generals that fell under Sparda’s blade, tell any listener the number of demons that died in his one-man rebellion. But women tell a different myth. Women will tell the myth with emotions in her voice, with sadness and despair and a heavy heart, as if she stood beside Sparda during those battles. There was no glory in those tellings, in those versions of the myth and legend. To a woman, war is never glorious, never a thing to be celebrated, and its survivors never anyone to regale or worship. 

At least Lady had the decency to tell her story in a cold, factual tone. This was what the world was like two thousand years ago. This was what the demon emperor did, and these were the demons who served him. This was the tipping point, where Sparda decided that enough was enough. This is when the rebellion began, and this is when it ended. This is the process that Sparda used to seal the worlds (with step-by-step instructions so that you too could become a martyr). This is the kingdom he ruled.

This is the woman he loved.

Eva.

Sephiroth dug out that picture of her, setting it by the typed paper so that every time his eyes scrolled across the text, he would have no choice but to look at her before his eyes moved on to the next line.

This is where he lived.

He dug through the pictures again before he found a copy of a photo, of a beautiful house with a picturesque garden and gate, of a woman with golden hair with her back to the camera. Of two boys with white hair, playing in the tall wildflowers that grew outside their home. He had heard of Dante’s ancestral home, and luckily Lady provided an address to the ruins, assuming it was still left standing. 

But why wouldn’t it be? It was a sacred space to the Sparda legend.

And Sephiroth’s next stop.


	8. Take Me Home

Sephiroth was half expecting a tour guide to be waiting for him when he arrived. Rather than taking another Uber or taxi all the way there, he had his driver drop him off at the edge of the city, and he walked the miles of countryside to the remains of the Sparda residence. Despite the sharp cold of winter, snow hadn’t yet fallen in or near Red Grave City. The landscape was waves of dull brown dead grass trying to live despite the season. And standing out, like a scab in the earth, was the house and its grounds. It was truly untouched by time, still in collapsed ruins from that attack twenty years ago. Weeds had overgrown the garden, rain had corroded the iron bars of the gate, and the black char of the wood gave way to rot. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he tried to imagine it. He tried to imagine the house as it was before the attack, tried to imagine the sound of Dante’s childlike laughter as he and Vergil played among the garden or in the nearby fields. 

But the image didn’t come.

All that filled his vision was sorrow.

No one stopped him from walking up to the stone wall, from running his fingers over the crumbling grout and weather-stained stone. So few people traveled this way that even the road was neglected; the dirt path split in half by a line of weeds that were just short enough to survive the belly of a passing wagon. The iron gate was left ajar, frozen open by rust and time. Sephiroth slipped past, rustling the tall grass as he headed up the stone path to the shattered doors of the house. 

Motes of dust hung in the air, illuminated by the hole in the ceiling that let in the sunlight. Grass grew between broken floorboards, and wilted flowers bloomed on rotting upholstery. Time might have forgotten the house, but nature hadn’t, and was fighting to reclaim what was originally hers. He startled some small animals or another as he wandered through the building, hearing scuttering and scurrying in the beams above him and in the shadows around him. 

He found the blood stain in the hallway, between a closet and the door outside. 

The SOLDIER didn’t need special training, or even to be told how she died.

He could see her body, as clear as day. As clear as if she were still laying there, her dress tattered, her hair haloing around her head, and her body mangled from being ripped to shreds by the enemies of her husband, her family. 

Bile rose in the back of Sephiroth’s throat, and he closed his eyes, leaning against the wall to swallow it back. 

“What does the life of one woman matter, when you have killed so many yourself?”

Vergil’s voice came from somewhere behind him. Sephiroth hadn’t felt the half-demon’s cool presence approach, but with the winter air being as cold as it was, he wouldn’t have felt any different unless he was indoors where the temperature change would have been noticeable. 

“How many mothers have you killed, Sephiroth? How many Dantes and Vergils have you created on your own war path for power?”

When Sephiroth faced him, Vergil didn’t bother with disguises for this encounter. His clothes were ragged and worn as he leaned on his cane, the cloak over his shoulders more of a single tattered rag than any regal accessory. And his face…

The half-blood was crumbling like dust. 

Black cracks like veins crawled up Vergil’s face and cheeks. How much time he had left, even Sephiroth couldn’t guess. Years, if he conserved his energy properly. Months, days if he didn’t. 

His concern must have shown in his eyes, because Vergil’s face cracked a little more as he chuffed, smiling minutely as he moved to stand beside Sephiroth at that bloody patch. 

“Don’t worry for me,” Vergil told him lowly as his eyes looked down at that spot as if it were a sacred altar. “I know the steps necessary to return to my original form. I am merely biding my time until it can be done.”

Sephiroth nodded, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “Is that why you are so protective of Dante? Because you failed to all those years ago?”

“Yes, and no…” Vergil’s voice was meant for Sephiroth, though his eyes did not turn away from that dark red stain. “Dante is precious to me. No matter how many times we cross blades or paths, no matter how often I am his enemy and he is mine, he is still my brother.” His lips curled once more into a soft, dreamy smile. “My precious… baby brother…” He turned his head to look at Sephiroth. “No other person or creature in the three realms is allowed to take his life, save I. No other heart but mine is allowed to shatter his. Dante is  _ mine. _ Any person, any succubus, incubus, whore, or suitor he wants to bed must first be approved of by  _ me _ .  _ No one _ is worthy of him until they have proven themselves to me.”

He was tempted to remark that Vergil was a few days late, but Sephiorth bit his words back. Instead, he remembered Lady’s words, of how she wasn’t emotionally strong enough to handle both herself and Dante. 

Was Sephiroth?

Was the dark, one-winged angel strong enough to support both himself and Dante emotionally?

He remembered the look on Dante’s face every time he talked about Vergil, that sad little smile that tried to bury the sorrow of tragedy behind the joy of living. Sephiroth had already been composing a list of movies they weren’t allowed to watch during movie dates, for fear of triggering an anxiety or depressive episode, and luckily Disney occupied 99% of that list. Deep down, he knew being mindful of Dante’s triggers wasn’t enough.

But it was a start. 

“What are you doing here?”

The sound of Dante’s voice snapped him of his thoughts, and he spun around to face his boyfriend. And with Vergil suddenly missing from Sephiroth’s side, the ex-SOLDIER was looking awful guilty of being somewhere he shouldn’t. His first thought was,  _ Son of a bitch _ , promptly followed by,  _ Wait, no, that’s Dante’s mother too. _

Sephiroth tried to smile, tried to be confident. “I could ask the same of you.”

“You first,” Dante demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. 

His smile fell as quickly as his heart. Sephiroth shook his head, letting his gaze drift back to that bloodstained floor. “I followed a bad lead, it seems.”

“Right.” Dante didn’t sound convinced. He reached out a hand to Sephiroth. “Give me your phone.” 

“What?”

“Give me. Your phone.”

Always one to follow orders, Sephiroth obeyed against his own instincts. He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to Dante, who withdrew his own phone to hold them side by side. His snow white brows furrowed in thought as he scrolled through messages and settings, comparing them. He snapped Sephiroth’s phone closed and handed it back.

“You’re lying to me.”

“Dante, I wouldn’t…”

“Cut the bullshit, Sephiroth. I know your tells. We’ve been on enough jobs together, I know when you’re fucking lying to me. You’re not here on some job.”

“I am…”

“You are, huh? You’d take a job with no reliable means of contact with your client? With no paper trail for a concerned  _ boyfriend _ to follow?” Dante shook his head. “Stop. Lying. To. Me. You want us to work? Tell me the fucking truth.”

He rubbed his face with his hands. “Dante, it’s not that  _ simple _ …” Sephiroth sighed and lowered his hands from his face. “Yes, I  _ am _ on a job. My client met me in person at the Hellhouse. He’s been meeting me in person every time he feels I’ve been delaying.”

“Oh yeah? And what, he told you to come here?”

“Not… necessarily…” 

“So let me get this straight. You took a job from a client who met you personally at the Hellhouse to… do research? Is it even corporate espionage, or were you lying about that too?”

Sephiroth swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He couldn’t watch. “Yes… I was lying about that.”

“I fucking knew it… What’s the job, Sephiroth? Who’s your client?”

“I… I can’t  _ tell _ you… Dante, please… Please trust me…”

Dante shook his head and opened his phone, holding it up and waiting for Sephiroth to open his eyes and read it.

An unknown number.

Friday, December 28th, 2019

(?) (Meet me at the old Sparda place.) 9:56 AM

Minutes after Sephiroth arrived.

He chuffed to himself. Dante must have broken every traffic law twice to get here that quickly.

“I don’t know what the fuck is goin’ on,” Dante half spoke, half whined. “But I don’t like it. And until I figure out what it is… Don’t talk to me.”

“What?”

“You fuckin’ heard me. Don’t. Talk. To. Me.”

“Dante, please…” 

“No. I’m fucking  _ done _ . I’m done with the lies, I’m done with the bullshit. Either you tell me right fuckin’ now what the fuck is going on, or I’m walking out that door and getting a different hotel room.”

Never in his life had Sephiroth ever had a sword to his throat. Usually he was the one holding the blade, pressing it to his victim’s skin just enough to let the cold steel bite them until they either bled or confessed. And though Vergil wasn’t literally holding a blade to his throat, Sephiroth could still  _ feel _ it. He could still feel the presence of death against his skin, against his throat as he swallowed hard. 

Of one thing, Sephiroth was certain.

He did  _ not _ like that feeling.

“Dante…” 

His boyfriend shook his head and turned to walk away.

No, not his boyfriend anymore.

Dante was breaking up with him.

“I love you…” 

But the air around him was cold and empty, and Sephiroth’s whispered words were heard only by ghosts and demons.


	9. The 29th

Saturday, December 29th, 2018

8:49 AM (Dante, I’m going to Starbucks for breakfast.) (S)

8:50 AM (Please, join me and we can talk.) (S)

8:50 AM (I know you don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you) (S)

8:51 AM (but it hurts so much that you won’t let me speak.) (S)

8:51 AM (Let me buy you breakfast, and I can try to explain everything.) (S)

11:01 AM (Dante, please.) (S)

11:01 AM (I’m begging you.) (S)

11:02 AM (Let me try to explain everything.) (S)

11:02 AM (Yes, I lied to you.) (S)

11:02 AM (I am so sorry that I did, but I didn’t have a choice.) (S)

11:03 AM (I did it to protect you.) (S)

11:03 AM (There’s so much I want to say to you, but I just can’t yet.) (S)

11:04 AM (Please.) (S)

11:04 AM (Please answer me.) (S)

11:04 AM (Please trust me.) (S)

1:15 PM (I am so sorry.) (S)

1:16 PM (I will never betray you like that ever again.) (S)

1:16 PM (You mean so much to me.) (S)

1:16 PM (Dante.) (S)

1:44 PM (There are people I want to talk to in Red Grave City.) (S)

1:44 PM (So I’ll still be here for another couple of days.) (S)

1:45 PM (If you change your mind,) (S)

1:45 PM (if you decide you’re ready to listen to me,) (S)

1:46 PM (just tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.) (S)

1:53 PM (I’ll always be there for you when you ask, Dante.) (S)

Read


	10. Copper and Lead Legacy

Sephiroth didn’t have to steal glances in his Uber’s rearview mirror. He knew  _ exactly  _ how he looked. He knew  _ exactly  _ how he felt. And he knew  _ exactly _ what others would see when they looked at him. Yes, the average person would be intimidated by him at first glance, as he was quite tall and menacing in his black leather cloak and clothes. But the longer someone looked at him, the more they’d notice that his eyes, once proudly looking above the world, were now downcast, ashamed. His nose was still pink, and his cheeks and around his eyes were puffy. There was only one person in any world that he would confess to that he cried, and her soul was with the Lifestream now.

He watched the city pass by through the glass of the car’s window, the Uber speeding down a highway from the heart of Red Grave City to its suburbs. According to Lady’s compiled file, almost all of Dante’s friends and family were dead, almost all of his past buried in bloody, shallow graves. 

Almost.

There was one section of Dante’s history that caught Sephiroth’s eye: his mentor in gunmaking and destruction. Sephiroth was of the school of thought that you could learn a lot about a man by his choice of weapons. While  _ Masamune _ wasn’t exactly compensating as much as the Buster Sword had been, it still represented Sephiroth’s desire to be cutting and cunning while also maintaining a safe distance. For Dante, who used both swords and guns, something very similar could be said. Using his rapid-fire pistols kept Dante at a safe distance from demons while he worked out a plan, before coming in close for the kill with Rebellion. Despite the world’s heckling that Dante was a goofball idiot, he was rather brilliant. It felt as if Sephiroth was the only one who saw it.

The Uber came to a stop outside the house, and Sephiroth paid for the fare, as well as an extra $20 if the driver would stay parked until he came back. The ex-SOLDIER didn’t expect this visit to take very long.

A blonde man answered his knocks, but only enough to reveal his face and half his body, ready to slam the door in Sephiroth’s face at one wrong answer.

“Rock Goldstein?” Sephiroth questioned, trying to keep his tone gentle.

“I am.”

Sephiroth swallowed nervously. “I…” No more lies. “I am a friend of Dante’s. I’ve been asked to learn more about him. May I take up some of your time?”

The man relaxed and opened the door more, stepping aside to let Sephiroth in. He holstered the sawed-off shotgun that had previously been aimed at Sephiroth’s gut. 

“C’mon in.”

“Thank you.”

His gaze skimmed across the living room. It was nothing outstanding, nothing remarkable. It was a home; ugly print and wood sofa and loveseat, recliner of old suede and stretching seams, coffee table with places where the resin had been wiped off through years of water rings, and dull brown shag carpet. The interior looked as if it were designed somewhere in the 70’s and was never updated since. From somewhere in the kitchen, Sephiroth heard a constant  _ “dathunk-tiktiktik… dathunk-tiktiktik… dathunk-tiktiktik…” _ He smiled to himself at the familiar sound of someone decapping spent ammo cartridges for reloading later.

Rock gestured for him to sit on the couch while occupying the recliner for himself. The ex-SOLDIER sat on the end of the couch, not quite making himself comfortable. Despite the fact he was still alive, Sephiroth still felt an atmosphere of tension and hostility. As if at one wrong word, Rock would change his mind about how hospitable he was being.

After a few heartbeats too long of silence, Sephiroth decided to be the one to speak. “Did you know him… Did you know Dante well?”

“Not personally, no,” came the gruff answer. “Heard stories mostly from ol’ Nell ‘fore she died.” 

“I see…” 

“He’s the reason she’s dead, yuh know.” His Southern drawl became harder to understand the longer he talked. Sephiroth had to focus on each word to translate it. “Iffin ‘e stayed outtuh her life, outtuh all ours, she’d still be alive. And maybe we’d all be uh happy fam’ly, stead of uh broken one.”

His eyes fell guiltily to the old carpet. Vergil’s words echoed in his mind, and though he already knew the story from Lady’s file, Sephiroth still felt the need to speak. “May I ask… what happened?”

“Dante was a punk,” Rock started, leaning forward in his seat to rest his elbows on his knees. He was on the same level as Sephiroth now, and he’d seen into the eyes of enough demons that this human, this  _ one _ human, wasn’t afraid to look the one winged angel himself in the eye. “A punk, a troublemaker, and a killer. Don’t know when he started, but he was killin’ young. Too young.” 

Sephiroth knew this. The ex-SOLDIER had taken a few hitjobs with Dante when the half-blood barely had hair on his chest or on his chin. He chuffed a little. Rock’s description of Dante being a punk wasn’t too far off the mark. 

“Bastard went through guns like they were candy. He’d bring ol’ Nell the guns of the dead to sell to her. And she  _ loved _ him. She loved this little asshole, despite how much he would snark right back at her without any goddamn respect at all. She loved him even though he was a fucking  _ murderer _ . She…”

“Language,” a small voice called from the kitchen.

Rock sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Nico, this ain’t about you!”

“It damn well is!” 

The rhythmic sound of someone decapping shells stopped, and a few moments later, a girl came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands clean of grease and gunpowder with a rag already soiled. Sephiroth was hesitant to call her a little girl, though. Little girls were pink and ribbons. This was a young woman, although she couldn’t have been more than eleven years old. Her dark hair was pulled back to keep her bangs out of her face as she worked, and her big doe eyes were made all the more bigger by the spectacles they hid behind. The leather blacksmith’s apron was too big for her, but she still wore it as proudly as any other girl would be proud of her sparkling prom dress. The stick of a lollipop hung out from her lips, and Sephiroth chuffed. He could tell that she was the kind of girl counting down the days until she was eighteen, when she could finally smoke and have tattoos. He was quietly impressed that she was loading ammunition with bare hands; there were privates in SOLDIER that were so timid, they wouldn’t touch rounds of ammunition without gloves.

She flung her rag over her shoulder and took her lollipop out from between her lips to point at Sephiroth. Gratefully, it wasn’t a peppermint stick, which would have been much more dangerous with it’s shiv-like point. However, the gnawed round of the lollipop head was harmless. Now the girl herself…

“Yuh wunna know ‘bout Dante? Yuh ask  _ me _ .  _ I’m  _ thuh one that heard all Nell’s stories.  _ I’m  _ thuh one that loaded thuh bullets that he’d buy by thuh buckets.  _ I’m _ thuh one that sat in ‘er lap while she drew out the sche-ma-tics of every gun that crossed ‘er mind! Yuh wanna know ‘bout Dante?”

The girl smiled dreamily, like a girl about to talk about her Hollywood or boy band crush. “He may’uh been uh prick… but he was a  _ good  _ prick. Yeah, he kill’t. Yeah, he done some question’ble stuff fer money. But who don’t? Nell weren’t no angel either herself. She bought thuh guns uh thuh dead, Frank-en-steined them intuh bigger ‘n’ better guns meant fer bigger ‘n’ better people. Like steel phoenixes.” She sighed softly, her eyes falling to the shag carpet. “Yeah, Dante’s the reason she died. But he sat with ‘er. He held ‘er in her final moments, as that shop burned ‘round him. Dante may uh been uh devil, but ‘e’s thuh only devil I known tuh cry.” She smiled at Sephiroth and tapped her temple, her lollipop between her fingers like the cigarette she wanted it to be. “Makes yuh wonder why ‘e named ‘is shop like that. Whut kinduh person ‘e is.”

“No, I…” Sephiroth smiled to himself. “I know exactly what you mean.” 

He stood from his seat and approached her bravely. And as expected, she stood her ground as he offered her his hand. “A pleasure to speak with you, Miss…?”

“Goldstein,” the girl replied, accepting his hand with a grin. “Nico Goldstein. You tell Dante that when I get my forge goin’, he’s welcome tuh come on by ‘n’ take uh look at what I got.”

“Family discount included?”

“ _ Hell _ no! He gets uh prick tax of 5%!”

Laughing, Sephiroth let go of the girl’s hand and politely saw himself out.


	11. The 30th

Sunday, December 30th, 2018

10:08 AM (Dante) (S)

10:13 AM (I see you haven’t blocked me completely yet.) (S)

(It gives me a little hope that)

10:14 AM ( I can still heal the wound between us.) (S)

10:14 (I’m not going to burden you with a thousand pings.) (S)

10:15 AM (As much as my heart says otherwise.) (S)

10:15 AM (And I’m not going to beg to see you either.) (S)

10:15 AM (I want to respect you and your space.) (S)

10:16 AM (So all I will say is this.) (S)

10:22 AM (I want to make things better.) (S)

10:23 AM (I want to apologize with all of my heart and soul.) (S)

10:36 AM (I’m going to visit Eva’s grave today.) (S)

10:37 AM (It’s been a long while since I’ve spoken to the dead.) (S)

10:37 AM (But I feel of all people to speak to) (S)

10:37 AM (I need her counsel the most.) (S)

10:38 AM (After that, I’ll be going home.) (S)

10:43 AM (I want to see you for New Year’s.) (S)

10:43 AM (But if you don’t want to see me) (S)

10:44 AM (I understand.) (S)

Read


	12. Calling on Angels

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d arranged flowers into a bouquet, or the last time he spoke to the dead. It used to be a favored hobby, flower arranging. When had Sephiroth lost the taste for it? The time for it? It was an expensive hobby, but something about it allowed him to be creative in a way that didn’t expose his vulnerable emotions to the naked eye. Only someone else who understood the secret language of flowers would see his broken heart and shattered soul. 

And as for speaking with the dead, he was lying to himself this time. Sephiroth  _ did _ remember the last spirit he spoke to. He had no doubt in his mind that she and Eva were sipping tea in Heaven with gold-embellished cups, in delicate white gowns, and  _ doilies _ decorating their table. Sephiroth scowled at his reflection in the glass of his Uber’s window. If he called on Eva, would Aerith answer instead? Ancients above, he hoped not.

The red cellophane crinkled in his grip as the bouquet rested in his lap. Bright red roses, darker crimson roses, and rounds of scarlet geraniums; respect, mourning, and regret. There were sprigs of green and little snowflakes of white bouvardia as well, but these held no further meaning than to fill the bouquet with something other than red. 

Finding Eva’s grave wasn’t as difficult as he imagined it to be. Once again, Lady’s file had proved to be an invaluable resource, saving him the days of hopping between libraries and archives to find cemetery plat maps and burial notices. She was buried outside of city limits, far into the countryside where the smoke and smog of the city wouldn’t disturb her view of the sky and stars. The Uber pulled over at the side of the road, his driver a little too superstitious for Sephiroth’s liking, but for another $20, he stayed in park and busied himself with a phone game. 

Her grave was under a beautiful tree at the peak of a hill. Or at least, Sephiroth assumed it would be beautiful in the spring, when all the little nubs and buds were blooming with flowers. As it was now, the tree was as naked and bare as a skeleton, as lifeless as the silent cemetery around him. Not even birds sang here. Above him, the clouds were grey and dense, the ground was cold, and the air neither too wet nor too dry, ideal conditions for snow. 

Sephiroth sat down on his knees in one fluid gesture, fanning his coat and hair out so neither caught on his legs or the grass. He leaned her bouquet against the tombstone so that the flowers underlined her name.

On the ride here, all morning really, he had all the time in the world to figure out what he wanted to say. But now, as he sat there in front of her, Sephiroth was suddenly at a loss for words. He honestly almost began with “I’m a fan of your work.”

“Eva…” Sephiroth croaked her name. It felt so forbidden to speak, as if he had no right to her name at all. He swallowed and tried again. “Eva… I…” 

The one-winged angel closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He felt the wind blow against his face and rustle the bouquet; he felt cold fingers brush his bangs and tuck them behind his ears, as gentle as a mother’s touch. His heart sank further as he opened his eyes to see flakes of snow drifting down. Some were as small as sparkles and glitter, but most of the snow came down in large, floppy feathers. 

But none landed in the space between him and the tombstone.

Against all hope, she was there.

He bowed his head, and he felt her hands petting his hair as if he were a child. 

And perhaps he was.

“I have done something that cannot be undone… I have defiled and destroyed the trust of the one person who matters most to me. I speak to you not to beg for forgiveness, but for advice. Wisdom. I have lost my way on my path…” He chuffed. “Assuming I ever had a path to begin with.” 

The snow shuffled and whispered around him, quietly giggling as well. 

“What can I do? How could I ever heal the wound between Dante and I? I love him…” 

Tears burned his eyes and his cheeks, hot like molten silver. Despite the myths and legends surrounding the one-winged angel, his tears were neither black like ink or steel like his sword. His tears were as clear as any other man, woman, or child’s. 

“I love him, and I was a fool for trying to protect him.” Sephiroth laughed and sniffled, letting his tears drip off his jaw. “I’ve fought beside him and against him. I know just as well as any that he’s a big boy. That he can protect himself. And yet… And yet every instinct in me wants to protect him, shield him from every nightmare and terror that lurks in the night. I want it to be my hands that pick him up and put him back together with gold and light. I want it…” He smiled and lifted his chin to look up at the sky. “I want it to be my shoulder he leans on, my hands drying his tears, my voice whispering him lullabies to ease his pain and suffering. I love him, Eva… How can I tell him that? How can I  _ prove _ to him that I was a fool for doubting him, for doubting myself, and that his presence means more to me than life itself?”

The snow swirled in front of him, then suddenly stopped. One by one, the snowflakes began to land on her tombstone, on the bouquet of flowers he had brought her.

Eva was gone.

And she had given him no answer.

\------------

He watched the snow fall outside the window as he rode in the backseat of yet another Uber. The glass was cool against Sephiroth’s forehead, and despite his believe that he had no tears left to shed, he still felt burning on his cheeks. He felt lost, more than ever now without the guidance of some light in the darkness of his soul. Not even the revered dead were willing to help him. 

_ Maybe that’s because this is something no one else can do for me, _ Sephiroth wondered, looking past the glow of his eyes at the shifting scenery.  _ No one else can tell him I love him. No one else can validate that. No one else can intervene on my behalf. I must be the one to tell him. To apply the salve to the wound and tenderly heal him. I must be the one to tell him, to prove to him, that above all else, he is the thing that matters most to me.  _

_ But how? _


	13. The 31st

Monday, December 31st, 2019

(?) (Sephiroth) 3:56 PM

3:57 PM (Vergil) (S)

(?) (I notice you haven’t been attempting) 

(to contact Dante for some time.) 3:57 PM

(?) (I take it you have given up?) 3:58 PM

4:10 PM (Not a fucking chance.) (S)

4:10 PM (I’ve done what you asked.) (S)

4:11 PM (I’ve talked to the people who know him.) (S)

4:11 PM (I’ve stood at the graves of loved ones lost.) (S)

4:12 PM (And I’m not giving up.) (S)

4:12 PM (I may have messed up.) (S)

4:12 PM (And I may have pissed him off) (S)

4:13 PM (But that’s what happens in relationships.) (S)

4:13 PM (We fight with the people we love.) (S)

(There are misunderstandings) 

4:14 PM (and miscommunications) (S)

4:14 PM (But that’s no reason to give up.) (S)

(You brush off the dirt,) 

4:15 PM (get back up, and say I’m sorry) (S)

4:15 PM (because love is more important than pride.) (S)

4:16 PM (And I love him.) (S)

4:16 PM (I don’t care whether you approve or not. (S)

4:16 PM (I love Dante.) (S)

4:17 PM (Fuck you.) (S)

4:17 PM (Fuck your games. (S)

4:17 PM (Fuck your challenges.) (S)

4:17 PM (Fuck your lies and schemes.) (S)

4:18 PM (I love him.) (S)

4:18 PM (And the only approval I need is his.) (S)

(?) (Touching.) 4:21 PM

(?) (But I’m not the one you need) 

(to be telling all this to.) 4:22 PM

Read


	14. New Year's Revelation

Sephiroth was racing against the clock. He had made a promise, and Ancients be _damned_ if he was going to break it. He thought about buying champagne, about bringing flowers or some little trinket as a gift. Hell, he’d even thought about bringing Dante a ring. But he knew better. It wasn’t those things that mattered to Dante. It wasn’t about the gifts or the drinking or the sex, though both of them could agree that the great sex was certainly a perk. 

It was about being there, even when he wasn’t needed or wanted.

It was about telling the truth, even if it was something he didn’t want to hear.

It was about trusting each other, even when all he wanted most was to protect Dante.

The city was celebrating all around him. Despite the blanket of grey snow that had fallen in the city, people were out on the streets, partying on rooftops, and occupying every bar to capacity, despite the fact it was a Monday. He hardly waited for the bus to slow to a stop, hardly waited for the doors to open before he got off and ran for Dante’s shop. In the dark of the night, he could see the neon glow of the logo, and the sparkling of decorative lights on the roof.

Dante wasn’t downstairs as Sephiroth burst in. Patty looked up from the book she was reading at Dante’s desk, and if looks could kill, the child would have been a murderer with the dark scowl she gave Sephiroth.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Patty growled at him. She scrambled from her seat to block his path at the bottom of the staircase. Her little arms reached to either side, either T-posing to establish dominance or to generally be a nuisance. “Go away! You’re not invited anymore!”

He resisted the temptation to flip her off as he placed a hand against her face and shoved her out of the way. “I’m here to make things right. If you don’t like it, you can take it up with Dante afterwards.”

“The girls are up there too, you know!” Patty shouted at his back as he ascended. “They’re gunna fight you!” 

“Then let them!” Sephiroth snarled in return. “I’m not leaving until I tell Dante the truth!”

“Oh yeah?! And what truth is that?”

“I’m an idiot, and I’m in love with him!”

Sephiroth didn’t stop or turn back to look at her and see her reaction. Her silence was telling enough. He kept going, into Dante’s room, through the open window onto the fire escape, and up the rusted ladder. 

No one noticed his arrival at first. Dante stood with his back to the fire escape, a dumb party hat on his head and the area lit with fairy lights leftover from Christmas. Bottles of champagne and booze were jammed into the snow piled up on the table, which was never cleaned off, and Lady and Trish were chatting amongst each other about something or another, drinks in their hands. 

Trish was the first to notice Sephiroth’s presence. She furrowed her brows and even Sephiroth could feel the buildup of electricity in the air as she stormed towards him. Behind her, Dante took notice of the commotion before it could start. 

She pressed a hand to Sephiroth’s chest. “What are you doing here?” Trish hissed at him. 

“I want to talk to Dante,” he answered, his eyes looking past her at the devil in question.

“He doesn’t want to talk to _you_.”

He brushed her hand from his chest. “Let him say that himself.”

“It’s fine, Trish,” Dante called. He smiled weakly. “It was bound to happen eventually.”

The shapeshifter huffed, but nodded, moving aside so Sephiroth could continue to close the distance between himself and Dante. All the things he wanted to say, and now he could finally say them…

All around the rooftops, all over the city, the countdown began.

“Ten!”

“We need to talk,” Sephiroth started, knowing as soon as he said the words that they were the wrong ones.

“Nine!”

“Yeah, I…” Dante nodded. “I kind of figured... Listen, I know getting pissed at you like that wasn’t the most well-thought out thing I’ve ever done, but -”

“Eight!”

“What? Dante, no, that’s not -”

“I mean, I’m glad you’re willing to come here and break up in person. But really? On New Year’s Eve? Isn’t there a rule about breaking up with someone on a holiday?”

“Seven!”

“For fuck’s sake, Dante, this isn’t about -”

“Then what is this about? You follow me to Red Grave City, you lurk around all the places I used to go, you fucking _ghost_ me, you -”

“Six!”

“Ghost you? What, no?! I didn’t ghost you! I messaged you like crazy!”

“Well ain’t that convenient then that I never got any of them. Is that why you’re here? Because you tried breaking up over text and -”

“Five!”

Sephiroth, finally having had enough of this, grabbed Dante by his face and pulled him into a kiss that silenced him. He felt the devil tense up, but after a heartbeat of intense tongue-wrangling, Dante relaxed to the point that he nearly melted into Sephiroth’s hands. Dante was breathless as the one-winged angel finally pulled his lips away.

“Four!”

“Dante, I love you, and I love hearing your professional opinion…”

“Three!”

“But for once in your life, shut up.”

His hopeful boyfriend blinked at Sephiroth and dumbly nodded.

“Dante, your brother -”

“Two!”

Trish popped the champagne, drowning out Sephiroth’s words.

“What was that?”

“Dante, your brother -”

“One!”

“HAPPY NEW YEARS!”

The city-wide shouts were a wave of echoes that silenced anything anyone could say in a confidential whisper. Sephiroth was getting fed-up with fate.

“Dante, your brother -”

He flinched at the fireworks that went off above and around them. Being a military veteran didn’t help, but Sephiroth was mostly questioning where everyone _got_ their fireworks when they were both illegal in the state and the last holiday that required them was the Fourth of July.

“Mother _fuck_ ,” Sephiroth cursed.

Dante couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. “You wanna try again?”

“I’d like to, if the rest of the _fucking_ world could be quiet for five minutes!” He sighed and waited a beat for the fireworks to tone down before trying one more time. “Dante, your brother is alive.”

There. He said it. He got it all out at last.

And the look on Dante’s face made him wonder if he shouldn’t have said it at all.

But not telling him would have been a lie. Not telling him would have meant not trusting Dante with the truth or being able to protect himself or make his own decisions. 

Sephiroth swallowed back his self-doubts, his fears that he’d said or done the wrong thing. 

“Vergil is alive. He came to me at the Hellhouse on the 26th and challenged me to prove to him that my feelings for you are real, and not some…” Sephiroth shook his head. “Some whatever that could be ended on a whim. He sent me to Red Grave City, to find out more about you, and in the end…” His hands and gaze fell from Dante’s face; he couldn’t look him in the eye anymore. “In the end, I learned more about myself than I ever could of you. I learned that…” He chuffed. “That I fucked up pretty badly, by not telling you the truth and being secretive from the get-go. That no matter how badly I want to protect you and shield you… You deserve to know the truth. Even if it stings. Even if it hurts. And the truth is…” His eyes flicked up to Dante’s, seeing the tears that glittered against his sky blue eyes. He felt his own tears building in return. “I love you, Dante. I never thought I would be able to love again. Being with you, even for these short few days, has done so much more to clear up the madness and darkness in my mind than a lifetime of searching.”

With every spoken word, Sephiroth felt more and more like a pile of boulders were being removed from his chest one by one until he was both able to breathe and breathless from it. With all of those emotions and thoughts freed from the cage of his chest, Sephiroth felt empty and ready to collapse with nothing to hold him up but his pride. 

Dante just dumbly staring and not saying anything didn’t help.

Was everything for nothing?

Was Dante going to dump him after all?

After all that work?

After all those revelations?

After all that _hope_?

The one-winged angel closed his eyes, ready for that death blow to his heart.

But that blow never came.

Instead, Dante’s warm, gloved hands cupped his face and pulled Sephiroth into another slow, tantalizing kiss that spoke all the words needed from a man of action. It was a kiss of forgiveness, of hope, of wanting to try again. 

Dante pulled his lips away to touch their foreheads together, grinning and breathless again.

“I always know when you’re talkin’ mad shit, Sephy,” the devil whispered. “You do this thing with your left eyebrow. Not quite a twitch, but it’s subtle and it gives you away each time you lie to me.”

“I didn’t know… Am I lying now?”

“Nah… You’re tellin’ the truth. About everything. I…”

A buzz in Sephiroth’s pocket interrupted Dante. 

The ex-SOLDIER huffed and growled in the same breath, digging out his phone to open the new text. He scowled as he showed it to Dante.

Tuesday, January 1st, 2019

(?) (We had an agreement, Sephiroth) 12:05 AM

(?) (By telling Dante, you forfeit our agreement.) 12:06 AM

(?) (Break up with him. Immediately.) 12:06 AM

12:07 AM (Hey Vergil?) (S)

12:07 AM (Fuck you.) (S)

He didn’t even turn his phone off or flip it closed before Sephiroth threw the phone as fast and as hard as he could for the distant horizon. Whether or not it actually _hit_ Vergil wasn’t even on his mind; he just wanted to make a point. 

He didn’t need Vergil’s approval.

Only Dante’s. 

His boyfriend pulled him into another kiss as fireworks went off around them, but Sephiroth didn’t flinch. He didn’t even hear them. All that mattered was the man kissing him, the man holding him. 

All that mattered to him was Dante.

/The End


End file.
